Sunday, July 12, 2009

1 year check up

We go tomorrow for Maddy & Libby's one year (12 month) check up. By the way, do I really have to start telling their ages as thirteen months, sixteen months, etc. or can I just say one year? It just seems confusing to me. I don't tell people that I'm 436 months old. (!)

Anyway, we had taken this picture of my Dad last July after both girls were home from the NICU. My family have always been huge St. Louis Cardinals fans and my sister-in-law sent them these onesies. They were a 0-3 month and they were huge. I think we had taped them in the back to get a better picture.My Dad wanted to take another photo this summer and even packed up his same STL hat and shirt. It was definitely a big difference this year. Don't you think?It's easy to get a little anxious about their appointments ... people are always asking about their milestones. "Are they walking yet?" "Are they talking?" "My Pediatrician told me that our daughter should say three words by her 1st birthday." "What do they weigh?"

Needless to say, I can easily get a little overwhelmed by all the other questions, plus all the ones that I'm thinking about ... "Why do they scream like I'm poisoning them when I offer milk in a sippy cup?" "Should I be concerned about their teeth since their top teeth came in the wrong order?"

Part of me doesn't care about the milestones, because after all they are only a range. I do know that they are healthy, happy, determined, and sometimes shy, silly, giggly, daring, curious, great eaters and sleepers, excited when they see Daddy, and to me are the cutest & sweetest girls around. Of course, I can't help but worry a little, because I want to do everything possible for them and I want them to meet or exceed any "test" no matter how big or small. So, here's to hoping for a good report tomorrow and a reality check for me that my little babies are indeed growing up.

** Edited to add ... I have to say that after a combined eight shots, two finger pricks, and minimal poking and prodding, both girls did very well. I have also decided that my scales are about 2 pounds heavy, so I will immediately start changing MY weight whenever I give it out. Ha. Because I freely announce my weight all the time. Anyway ...

Libby checked in at 21 lbs, 5.5 oz and 29 3/4 inches tall. She is in the 50th percentile for weight, and 60th for height.

Maddy almost hit the 19 pound mark, coming in at 18 lbs, 15.5 oz and 28 3/4 inches tall. She's in the top of the 10th percentile for weight and 25th for height.

Both got a great report and scored well on their developmental questionnaire that we filled out. Do other people do these? A list of about 25 question that go over gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving, verbal communication, etc.

They've both continued to grow at a steady rate over the year, which is good. I think I have also been in denial about how close they are to walking when Libby nearly took an unassisted step while standing on the table in the office. Oh, I don't think there are enough baby gates at Babies R Us to help us out when I have two walking.

Our Pediatrician also noted how M&L seem to be mirror-image twins ... something that we had noticed as well. It'll be interesting to see if that continues.